TREND REPORT: BOOMERS AND PUBLISHING

5 Things You Should Know About the Future of Boomers and the Printed Word

First in a series of snapshots of future trends regarding baby boomers as consumers, on an industry-by-industry basis.

By Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., Co-Chair FH Boom

The audience member, a retailer of comic books, was speaking, while several of the panel members seated in the front of the room were feverishly taking notes.

“Boomer women are snapping up graphic novels--sex, violence, mad science--anything they felt they’d been denied earlier in their lives, making up for lost time. They come in and say ‘Do you have that comic about the female sumo wrestler?’”

The passion and conviction with which the audience member spoke proved enlightening for the elite panel, convened to address the subject of marketing to boomer women at the 2007 Book Expo (BEA). After the session, one panelist pondered out loud whether the future of boomers and the written word ran more along the lines of “Mad Maxine” than the tomes of sensitive sonnets assumed to be the reading material of choice for the elder readers of generations past.

But not so fast. Boomers are the last generation raised on the printed word--before DVD’s, texting and the Internet. At 78 million strong, spanning 18 years and a variety of economic, educational, religious, ethnic and cultural orientations, they are a complex and challenging group of consumers to target. And in terms of predicting their future as readers, there has never before in history been a generation this large, this well educated, this vital and this healthy. In brief, they are forcing marketers as well as trend-predicators onto uncharted territory, racing to read the signs regarding what makes him, or more to the point when it comes to the majority of consumers of the written word, her tick.

That said, nobody has their pulse on this consumer more so than the BEA panelists, consisting of Thomas R. Troland, Sr. Market Analyst of Meredith Corporation’s Research Solutions Group (Ladies Home Journal, More Magazine and so on); Ellen Archer, Sr. VP and Publisher, Hyperion/Voice; Barbara Jones, Deputy Editor of More Magazine and Karen Murgolo, Associate Publisher, Springboard Press. I, author on the subject and consultant to corporate and organizational marketers, was the panel chair.

Extrapolating from the panel’s comments, viewed through the lens of FH Boom’s immersion in the demographic, here are FH Boom’s top five predictions for the future of boomers and publishing.

1. ASPIRATIONAL AGING FOR WOMEN

Let’s start with a statistic. 80 per cent of all consumer purchases are influenced by boomer women. With the possible exception of pornography and hunting magazines, it is women who increasingly dominate the publishing world, both as editors and agents-- and as consumers. Readers clock in at well above the averages in terms of education and income, tilting much of what is being published, toward the aspirational.

Regarding aspirations, observers of boomer women and publishing are fond of saying that “60 is the new 40.“ But best-selling author Gail Sheehy says it best. “60 is the new 60.“ Whether the boomer woman is wearing red hats and purple boas (special sections in bookstores set aside for closing in on the million members of The Red Hat Society) or showing off their hottest, revealing designer gowns on the cover of More, women at midlife and beyond are anything but invisible. (No more turtlenecks for the cover gals of More! Think, instead, of cleavage and proudly-displayed laugh lines.) To this point, while chick lit covers in bookstores continue to persist in their girly-girl sketchy pastel renderings of high-heeled shoes and handbags, the More logo has lost its baby fat and is now hard-edged. This aspirational gal is climbing mountains, running major companies, traveling the world and proud of herself and her accomplishments from head to toe.

More aside, the trend here, however, is not really flamboyancy--not every woman wants to read about hiking to the top of the Himalayas, let alone do it herself. It is, rather, about challenging the boundaries to find new ways to express one’s freedom from the conventionalities and stereotypes of aging. And even more to the point, this elite segment of the demographic see themselves as challenging the status quo of all kinds. Think “edgier” than even More originally anticipated. And take note that most of the publishers in the room were, indeed, scribbling madly at the notion of a female sumo wrestler. Memoir, perhaps? In graphic novel format? We predict: bestseller list, 2009.

2. STAR STATUS FOR COLLECTIVE WISDOM

Will boomers continue to buy advice books addressing the issues they’re facing--be it caregiving elderly parents, keeping up with the latest beauty and diet regimen or the latest tips on parenting (adult children!)

Sort of. They’ll still be buying books on these subjects--but they’ll be books they, themselves, have written. Not as individuals--and not as experts--but in collaborative, multiple-authored texts. Think of it as the elevation of collective wisdom to star status--the logical next step for boomers, who would rather trust each other than the so-called experts. (“Referential rather than deferential” comments one prominent CEO who caters to the boomer market…)Boomers have become cynical about any information that appears to come from a source who may have any agenda whatsoever.

Tom Troland is part of an on-line experiment even as you read this report, in which visitors to a website are invited to participate (submit and/or vote) on the contents of a business book that will eventually be published. Troland thinks about all the contributors and visitors to the site who will be standing in line to purchase the book…a built-in audience as the welcome side-product of the strategy.

3. COFFE TABLE NOSTALGIA

Who has time to read? (An AARP study shows that 8 out of 10 boomers “have no plans to retire.”) And what does that have to do with buying books?

As boomers age, expect a surge in nostalgic re-publications of the books that informed their childhood, everything from Dick and Jane to The Little Engine That Could. Forget updated graphics and relevancy. The closer these books are to the original, the better they’ll sell. We’re talking about a collector’s mentality here, by the way. But given the soaring numbers of boomers who are relishing the role of grandparent, these books might actually get read--out loud.

But it won’t end here. When boomers do read, chances are they’ll want to be reading about themselves. Endlessly fascinated with their role in history--and increasingly on the defense--expect PBS’s The Boomer Century-type book (Springboard Press)--to spawn not just single volumes but series of retrospectives…not just one for each decade. One for each year!

4. INNIES AND OUTIES

In a nutshell, boomers have spent a lifetime embarked upon what Troland refers to as an on-going “voyage of discovery.” The crux of the voyage is a turn from inward focus to an outward sense of adventure.

As Troland describes it, boomers moved on from Psychology Today after fully exploiting the self-reflective mode, and having witnessed its absorption into the mainstream. The success of LHJ, Martha Stewart’s surprising resilience, all the home channels and shopping networks affirm Troland’s assessment that the voyage of discovery at this moment of time is largely outward bound.

That said, I predict that this, too, as do all trends, shall pass. And what do I think will take its place? No less than a neo-revival of the inward-focus boomers seem to have left behind…not the pop psychology or even self-help genre, however (with the exception of the collaborative notions addressed above) but rather a healthy and vital introspection, buttressed by the search for meaning and the urge toward legacy.

Again, forget the expert/guru model. It’s the voice of authenticity--the real deal experience--that will increasingly capture their attention. Think Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. Poignant, attitudinal, angry, edgy, darkly humorous, uplifting. No subject matter taboo—caregiving one’s parent—bonding or disaster; dealing with a mate’s Alzheimer’s Disease—irreverent or spiritual. Springboard and Voice presses are already beefing up their lists with memoirs that do just this.

5. CLASSICS AND THE WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

Ellen Archer says it best: “women of substance”, wandering aimlessly amongst the tables groaning beneath chick lit merchandising, are having a hard time putting their hands on serious literature. While some publishers are seeking to fill the void, they fear that unless booksellers get on board with higher-brow merchandising, quality titles will languish and die.

While we predict that a few serious titles will rise to the surface—mostly if Oprah happens to take a liking to them—it will be the classics that will most benefit from this generation’s hunger for good reading material. After all, Oprah will someday retire. Then what? As boomers age—and with more time on their hands (even if they don’t think they’re ever going to retire)—there is likely to be a resurgence of interest in the tried and true. Educated and with lively minds that continue to seek enrichment, boomers—women in particular—will fuel an explosion in reading groups. In addition to the classics, there will be themed groups, around history and politics, mystery, armchair travel, biography and memoir and other specific genres. After all, boomers want what they want and have very little patience for subject matter that won’t hold their attention.

And yes, you may recall that boomers are a complex lot. Which is why we predict there will also be groups for the tomes of yesteryear’s sensitive sonnets—just exactly the genre the readers of More will be using as door stops on their mountain top yurts.

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., is co-chair of FH Boom and author of 15 books for and about baby boomers including “Boom: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer—the Baby Boomer Woman” (Mary Brown/Orsborn, Amacom Books, Fall, 2007)

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D.

Dr. Carol Orsborn is a senior vice president of Fleishman-Hillard and co-chair of FH Boom, the first initiative by a global PR firm exclusively dedicated to helping companies market to baby boomers. An authority on issues related to motivational marketing, adult development and quality of life, she is most recently co-author of “BOOM: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer—the Baby-Boomer Woman” (Amacom, 2006) by Mary Brown and Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. She has spoken at numerous professional gatherings, for such clients as the Associated Press Managing Editor's Convention, PRSA and IABC annual conference, Omega Institute, and more.

For more than twenty-five years, Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. has helped companies build strong relationships with the men and women of the baby boomer generation. The author of 15 books geared to this lucrative demographic, Carol is known internationally for her creative and strategic work addressing the issues, desires and concerns of her generation.

The recipient of the public relations industry’s highest award, The Silver Anvil, Carol has designed and implemented PR campaigns for such clients as The Gap, Inglenook Wine, Murray, Inc., Baxter-Travenol, Crystal Geyser Sparking Mineral Water, Prudential’s PruCare, among many others. In addition, she has worked with Apple University, The Walt Disney Company, Wellpoint and others on such internal communications issues as values-driven leadership, resilience, life-balance and ethics.

Carol first came to public attention when she founded Superwoman’s Anonymous in the mid-eighties, leading to multiple appearances on The Today Show and Oprah as well as interviews in such publications as Fortune, People, The New York Times, USA Today, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Orsborn received her Ph.D. in adult development and ritual studies, studying intergenerational values formation and transmission, from Vanderbilt University in 2001 and has since had tenures as a research associate with UCLA’s Center for the Study of Religion and as an adjunct professor of ethics at Pepperdine University. Dr. Orsborn has served on the faculties of Vanderbilt University’s Leadership Development Center of the Owen Graduate School of Management, and the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Educational and Psychology. She has also served as official hostess of ceremonies for the Avon Breast Cancer Three-Day Walks.